Mtv's `Loveline' Gets To The Heart Of Sex

Excerpts

November 16, 1998|By CYNDE RODRIGUEZ; Courant Staff Writer

Carolyn,'' 26, from New York City thinks she is addicted to sex. She tells Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Corolla of MTV's ``Loveline'' that she has sex with strangers every few days, even though she knows this is dangerous on several levels.

``She fits right in in New York,'' said Corolla, who receives a chuckle from the studio audience.

Then, after a few gentle, pointed questions from Dr. Drew, we learn that Carolyn's grandfather was an alcoholic, which may explain her addictive personality. She was also raped at 16 and is still dealing with the painful experience.

Suddenly, it's not so funny.

But it's a perfect example of what happens weeknights from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on MTV. Dr. Drew, a certified physician and California psychiatrist, gets to the heart of the matter. Comedian Corolla hits the funny bone. Regular Diane Farr offers the female perspective on love, lust and sex.

Dr. Drew has been helping the lovelorn on radio for 15 years. Corolla joined him on the air in 1993. In 1996, the show expanded to MTV, where it has been popular with 18- to 24-year-olds. The show has been able to stand out in a time when the media are sex obsessed.

When graphic details about oral sex in the Oval Office are quickly disseminated to the world, it may seem as if sex is getting easier to talk about. Yet it seems as if talking to young people about it remains a difficult task. The New Britain school system hosted a forum this year for parents on how to handle the subject with their children. Only a handful of adults attended.

Despite the mountains of information available, parents still struggle with the subject. Not much has changed since I was a teenager. My parents avoided the topic. Books explained the birthing process, but could not provide lessons on love or trust. I knew very little about HIV and AIDS even though we were in the middle of an epidemic.

Since the 1980s, school curriculums have been updated and health agencies have made aggressive efforts to educate people. Still, there remains an unavoidable tension and awkwardness between parents and children when the conversation turns from ``Where do babies come from?'' to ``I really like this person. When do you know you're ready for sex?''

At a time when intimate behavior is openly discussed among some and still personally embarrassing for others, it's important that young people have a place to get information. If they're not getting advice from home or school, they can actually learn something as they sit on the couch, flip through the channels and inevitably land on MTV.

``Loveline'' rises above other radio and television chat forums that seem interested only in bashing the guests or having the guests bash one another with fists or chairs. OK, some ``Loveline'' callers do say idiotic things, which provides great material for Corolla. But, most times, the call is taken seriously because the situation is serious. Young people talk about abuse, addiction and betrayal.

Plus, the Drew-Corolla-Farr combination works perfectly. The trio uses laughter, psychology, gut instincts and male-female perspectives to sort out the problems that face people such as Mike, 18, from Minneapolis, who thinks he is addicted to giving oral sex. Or Giselle, 27, from Dallas, who is dating a married man.

Corolla cracks that Giselle would fit right in in Washington, D.C. Farr questions her self-esteem. The kind-looking Dr. Drew first explains denial, compulsion and the definition of addiction. He says sexual acts can be symptoms of empty emotional lives. Then he gives some common sense advice.